Alex Rodriguez: Regarding that Contract

No one knows what Alex Rodriguez will be if and when he comes back in 2015. Probably little. Three serious hip procedures has so altered his natural running gait that part after part of his body will continually break down.

Buck Showalter this weekend wondered why the Yankees would be allowed under the luxury tax platform, given that they signed him. Now, Showalter thought he was speaking off the record, although Paul White of USA Today is a good man and a reputable reporter. Anyway, Showalter had to answer to many voices. Meanwhile, when the story hit, I got three texts, the first reading “God Bless Buck.”

“This goes way beyond Alex Rodriguez,” said one general manager. “Aren’t others held accountable? What about agents who broker contracts? What about the teams that sign players who get suspended? Why should the contracts not stand on their salary listing, even if they get out of the deal? Shouldn’t they be doing due diligence, and if they don’t, pay some cost?”

Remember before Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees, he was traded to the Red Sox with a player to be named later (Jon Lester) and Manny Ramirez. Then the Red Sox had a deal sending Nomar Garciaparra and a reliever to the White Sox for Magglio Ordonez and Brandon McCarthy.

The Players Association balked at the agreement Rodriguez, Scott Boras and Theo Epstein worked out to restructure his deal. Hence, it was cancelled. But not because Boston was wary of any possible PED involvement. Only money and the union.

“Maybe,” said another general manager, “if we were stuck with a bad contract because of PEDs we’d be more careful and it would be more difficult for suspected players to get signed.”

Teams will be a lot more careful now because of the threat that a player’s performance earns him a five year, $70M deal, he doesn’t want to lose a penny of it, goes cold turkey and returns to a .630 OPS.

Your interview w A-fraud in 2009 was shown on the MLB Network & the statements he made that he was older and wiser and a back injury caused him to re-think his behavior in using PED’s in 2004 is UNBELIEVABLE! What a serial liar! Hope players pressure the union for stiffer penalties including : no postseason, no All-Star game, no BWA awards, no HOF & voiding contracts!

DonCoffin

I don’t know what Rodriguez has or has not done, I only know that MB has provided anonymous leaks about him. And they have carefully arranged that any appeal of his suspension will be heard privately, by an arbitrator, who need not even state in his decision the basis for that decision, not in a public forum (like a courtroom). Had Rodriguez been suspended under the “best interests” clause, he would at some point, had he chosen to do so, have been able to appeal any penalty to a federal court (at least, that’s my unerstanding of the CBA). I’m sure MLB was anxious not to have to present evidence publicly and subject to cross-examination…(And Rodriguez, of course, would not have to testify, if it came to a lawsuit…although his failure to testify would raise a lot of questions, with none of the answers being favorable to him.)

rob

The tough stance is overdue Selig is at “best better late than never”,it seems the union recognizes the enormous harm to the game endangers their survival. We should believe the few cheaters will be punished get the “bad apples”. Players are most likely accepting penalties without protest because they have no union support. When the fans stop buying and it hits the bottom line, the greed turnstone fear. Fear is the antidote for hubris.

Peter Gammons

Peter Gammons is a Hall of Fame baseball columnist and he has covered the game of baseball for the Boston Globe, ESPN and the MLB Network. GammonsDaily.com features analysis from Peter Gammons as well as some of nation's top baseball analysts.